


Flash Delirium

by TheScarlettIris (orphan_account)



Category: Shingeki no Kyojin | Attack on Titan
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Arsonist!Levi, Depressed!Eren, Depression, Eventual Happy Ending, Eventual Romance, Flasher!Armin, M/M, Mental Health Issues, Mental Institutions, Slow Build, TW:Chapter 1:Suicide Attempt, TW:Chapter 5:Rape, not as angsty as it seems
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-03-08
Updated: 2015-05-27
Packaged: 2018-03-16 20:47:56
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 6
Words: 11,187
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3502283
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/orphan_account/pseuds/TheScarlettIris
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>I was standing in front of my new home: 'Titan's Mental Asylum: Home of the Mentally Insane.'</p><p>Great, I'm insane now.<br/>____</p><p>After a failed suicide attempt, Eren Jaeger finds himself placed into 'Titan's Mental Asylum: Home of the Mentally Insane.' There, he comes into contact with characters he'd thought only existed on television, starting from the blond-haired flasher he called his roommate who likes to show off what he's got(literally), to the vivacious red-head with another person living inside their head (literally), to the craziest person in the entire damn place, who just so happens to have an interest in Eren...along with a thing for fire. </p><p>Welcome to the crazy house. </p><p>(In other words, the mental asylum AU with Depressed!Eren and Arsonist!Levi)</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. I'm Coming Home

**Author's Note:**

> Hello, and welcome to my story! This is actually a re-upload, just in case anyone was wondering. for the first version of this, let's just say I bit off WAY more than I could chew, but now I'm back and ready! Hopefully you guys enjoy reading this as much as I enjoyed writing it. 
> 
> I now present to you: 
> 
> Flash Delirium - Chapter 1: I'm Coming Home

I just wanted it all to stop.

 

 

The pain, the hurt, the abuse...I just wanted peace.

 

 

I had no friends, I was bullied constantly at school, and I didn’t even have a family. Well, besides Mikasa.

 

 

Mikasa was an orphan when my parents took her in when I was about sixteen, and we automatically clicked. It was as if we had been brother and sister our entire lives.

 

 

Everything was once amazing.

 

 

My father, Grisha, was one of the best cardiologists in the state, bringing home more than enough money for all of his family to have everything they needed and more. My mother, Karla, was a scientist, working long days and hard nights with some of the top scientists in the world to complete the heavy task of finding a cure for cancer. Ironically, she never got a chance to see that through.

 

 

Mom died from an aggressive case of leukemia a day before my seventeenth birthday.

 

 

After that…my whole life changed. Dad went into a deep state of depression, alcohol becoming his only solace before and after work. The loss of his wife, his first and only love, brought him a brutal pain in his heart. He shut everyone out, including his children.

 

 

Not even two months after mom’s passing, that bastard just…packed up his stuff and left, leaving behind his two kids who were also grieving. Mikasa and I then not only had lost a mother, but a father, as well. The only things we had were each other.

 

 

He left us the house, which was fully paid off, and our mother’s old car, but that still didn’t cover the utility bills that would need to be paid each month. Not to mention food, clothes, and other necessities that would need to be paid for with money that two measly teenagers just didn’t have.

 

 

Mikasa turned eighteen soon after dad’s retreat, her being a year older than me, and made the conscious decision that it would be best to attempt to sell the technical mansion we called a home in order to earn some cash. Then, we could both move into a smaller, less expensive place that could possibly be more affordable.

 

 

Luckily, the house sold almost immediately after being put on the market, granting us 450,000 dollars to our names, and we moved into a small, yet nice apartment complex across town from where we used to live. Mikasa and I had to change schools, which was probably the hardest thing about the move since I had grown up with and become close friends with the people from my old school. I knew it wasn’t exactly like we had a choice if we wanted to survive, but it still sucked nonetheless.

 

 

Our new school was a nightmare. Maybe not the school itself was a living hell, but the people in it. I was a quiet, shy kid surrounded by people I didn’t know, and classmates would immediately write me off as a ‘weirdo’ or a ‘freak.’ There was this one guy named Jessie that especially went out of his way to make sure I was miserable and friend-less every single day.

 

 

I was a strong kid; Determined was one of my many descriptions, and that was a fact. But after the loss of my mother, and my father just leaving as if we didn’t need him, all topped off with the relentless bullying that I faced every day of my fucking life, my resolve quickly wore thin, frighteningly so. It was only a matter of time before I broke, and I knew that.

 

 

We were fine for about a year, our worries subtlety at ease about how we would make it, until our lump sum of money started to slowly thin out. Mikasa had already graduated at the end of the previous school year by the time I started my senior year, and she decided to get a job to help reestablish our deflating money pile. I offered to get a job as well, considering that we were a team, but we got into many heated arguments every time I would even so much as mention the idea. I understood that she wanted me to focus on school so that I could maybe get a scholarship or something to college, but that didn’t mean that she had to work like a fucking pack mule five days a week in order to put food in our mouths. Mikasa didn’t see it from my point of view, and I eventually gave up trying to reason with her. From the way I saw it, I was nothing but a burden. Mikasa shouldn’t have had to put her college career and her entire life on hold because of me. It wasn’t fair to her, and I knew that whole-heartedly.

 

 

She insisted it didn't bother her, but nothing would convince me that I was anything other than just a stupid, useless piece of crap that was dragging her down.

 

 

As the school year progressed, the bullying got worse. The taunts and insults became harsher and colder as I steadily declined into a deep and dark hole of depression.

 

 

My breaking point finally hit.

 

 

Jessie had plain out told me I'd just be better off dead; I started to take what he said into consideration. I went home and decided that that was it. I refused to live like that anymore; no more putting up with the constant abuse and taking away from Mikasa’s life…it was best, I thought. Mikasa came home from work hours after I did, so I wouldn’t have to worry about her. I retrieved a nice, sharp knife from the kitchen, sat on my bed, slit both my wrists, and waited for the darkness to take over. I wasn't even scared; I was actually excited for what the afterlife might’ve brought; maybe I would’ve even been reunited with mom.

 

 

Right before I slipped out of consciousness due to the blood lost, I heard someone unlock the front door of my house, more than likely Mikasa, footsteps padding down the hallway following shortly after. I knew this would probably scar my sister for life, Mikasa walking in to find her precious little brother lying in his own pool of crimson red.

 

 

I had just hoped she was too late.

 

 

A glass-shattering scream accompanied by a heart-wrenching sob was the last thing I heard before I passed out.

 

 

****

 

 

My eyes burned from the blinding light as they fluttered open. All I saw was white as my eyes darted back and forth: white walls, white floors, a white ceiling…

 

 

_Am I in Heaven?_

 

 

I answered my own question after taking a closer look at the heart rate monitor beeping along steadily with the beat of my heart to the left of my bed.

 

_Dammit, I survived._

 

 

I looked down and mentally noted that there was an IV needle stuck in my left hand and a loose-fitting hospital gown, also white, was covering my otherwise naked stature. The atmosphere was like any other hospital: death-like. The air was stiff and dreary with walls that were plain and bare.

 

 

The door was suddenly swung open, in walking an older bald man, a million wrinkles adorning his oval-shaped head. He had a grey, bushy mustache combed neatly above his lips. I studied him as he looked down upon what I assumed was a chart filled with all my medical information. He mumbled to himself for a few brief, agonizing seconds before looking up and offering a stunningly bright smile in my direction.

 

 

"Well, you gave us all quite a scare there Mr. Jaeger. Your sister got off of work early, as she told us, and she came right in the nick of time. You lost quite a bit of blood, but we were able to revive you."

 

 

_Woo-Fucking-Hoo. Let’s throw a parade._

 

 

He checked my IV, glanced at my heart monitor, and wrote something down hurriedly. I personally chose to keep my mouth shut. The faster he said what he needed to say, the sooner I could get out of this hell hole. I've always hated hospitals; more people have died here than at a POW camp.

 

 

"I'm Dr. Pixis. I'm mostly known around here for helping patients with suicide related incidents."

 

 

_Well, shit._

 

"Dr. Pixis, I'm fine. Really. I couldn’t be happier, I promise. Can I just go home, please?" I asked with wide and pleading eyes. I needed to get out of there; the scent of all that sterile shit was slowly driving me insane. He shook his head, regarding my puppy dog eyes with a pitying look, before taking a seat in a chair that had been placed by my bed. 

 

 

"I'm afraid I can't do that, Eren. Your sister described your personality and daily routines to me in detail, and we’re all concerned. The irritability, the anxiety, the anti-socialness, and now a suicide attempt…Eren, these are all major red flags of depression. That's a serious diagnosis. A person diagnosed with depression can not only be harmful to themselves, but also to other people. If your sister would've found you in your bedroom any later than she had…" His sentence trailed off. I already knew what he was about to say.

 

 

"To prevent future suicide attempts, I'm suggesting you go see a psychiatrist."

 

 

I quirked an eyebrow as what he’d said registered in my brain.

 

 

"You mean…you want me to go see a crazy person's doctor?" I asked with disbelief evident in my tone and on my face. Pixis chuckled lightly, standing up.

 

 

"No, a psychiatrist is not a crazy person's doctor. Just because someone has a mental disorder doesn’t automatically deem them crazy. I'm suggesting one of the best psychiatrist's in the state. Mr. Smith has helped successfully treat hundreds of patients in the state with various mental disorders and obsessions such as depression, eating disorders, people with OCD - " I cut him off before he could finish.

 

 

"So what, I'm supposed to just talk to this guy like once a week or something and he’s gonna magically make me feel better? Not to bust your bubble doc, but it ain’t happening. Plus, my sister and I can barely afford to have a roof over our heads as of right now, so there’s no way we’ll be able to afford the so-called ‘Best doctor in the state.’” This guy was nuts if he honestly believed that some guy asking about my personal problems could actually heal the open wounds in my heart.

 

 

"Well, actually…You would be living in a facility with the psychiatrist, with other patients of course. Your sister explained to me your situation, and I can assure you that all the expenses we’ll be covered. You wouldn’t have to worry about a thing except your mental health. The time you spend there would depend on how long it takes for your treatment to be successful."

 

_Wait…_

 

 

It hit me like a fucking freight train.

 

 

"Dude, you wanna send me to a mental asylum?"

 

****


	2. Welcome to the Crazy House

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi! Look who updateeeed, heh. 
> 
> Um, I don't really have anything to say besides: Enjoy
> 
> Flash Delirium: Chapter 2 - Welcome to the Crazy House

“I’m not going.”

 

 

“Eren, please don’t do this. We’re almost there. Could you just be a good sport about this?”

 

 

“A good sport? I’m being forced to live in some placed with a bunch of psychos and a supposed magical doctor that’ll make all the boo-boos go away. Don’t fucking tell me to be a good sport! And you know what, how could you? How could you, of all people, agree that it was best to send your brother off to a crazy house without even giving him a chance to decide for himself?”

 

 

“Damnit, Eren. Because you fucking need _help._ ” Mikasa practically growled at me, her face contorted in a way that let me know that she was seething. We were on our way to the asylum, Mikasa in the driver’s seat of our mother’s old car, and I’d been complaining and yelling the entire drive there.

 

 

Mikasa had had enough, though.

 

 

As soon as the doctor gave had given the ‘OK’ over my few injuries, I was free to leave…Well, free to leave for about an hour so Mikasa could drive me straight home to pack up some of my clothes and other necessities before we would have to head off towards my new temporary home. Thus bringing me into a sticky situation: riding shotgun in a moving vehicle with a pissed off Mikasa, which I was sure wouldn’t end well for me.

 

 

“Eren. Shit, I’m sorry. OK? I’m fucking sorry that we have to split up, but it’s only for a little while so you can get better. Can you even _comprehend_ how hard it was to have gotten off of work early, excited that I would be able to spend a little time with you since that hasn’t happened a lot lately, only to find you…” Her voice got a little shaky at the end, bowing her head down at the memory of my lifeless body, my fury slowly dissipating. I hadn’t realized just how much Mikasa was hurting and there I was taking all my anger out on her. I felt extremely guilty. She didn’t deserve this. I didn’t deserve her as a sister.

 

 

During my silence, I noticed that we had stopped moving. We were in a scarcely populated parking lot in front of a large building. We had arrived to our destination.

 

 

Mikasa’s voice had softened significantly. “ _Please_ , Eren. I need you to try. I need you to try to get better. Not only for yourself, but for me. I wouldn’t be able to handle it if something were to happen to you. Promise me that you’ll try?” She raised her head back up to meet my eyes and I nodded slowly. My pride wouldn’t let me do this for myself, but it would let me do this for the most important person in my life.

 

 

Mikasa and I exchanged a final hug goodbye, and she drove off after I retrieved my suitcase from the trunk. I was standing in front of my new home: “Titan's Mental Asylum: Home of the Mentally Insane.”

 

 

Great, I'm insane now.

 

 

The facility looked more like a skyscraper. The place stretched towards the sky for as long as I could see until it seemed to hit the clouds, but I noticed that there weren’t many windows at all. When I least expected it, out came a nice looking man that looked to be much older than me, but he was handsome, nonetheless. His skin was tan and looked as smooth as silk, eyes blue as the sky above him and neatly styled blonde hair sitting atop his head. He was grinning ear to ear as he walked towards me, his long strides steady and quick with an aura that reeked of confidence.

 

 

 

"Eren, I assume? We've been expecting your arrival. I'm Erwin, the head psychiatrist here!" Erwin held out a meaty hand and I shook it hesitantly. He seemed nice, but there was a gleam in those baby blues that told me I shouldn’t trust this guy just yet.

 

 

After polite formalities, Erwin led me into the colossal facility. There was nothing but a desk to the left and a long hallway that led to a single door, and my nerves were finally starting to kick in.

 

_Fuck, what if this is really a murder house? They kill all their victims behind that door and sell their organs for money. These turquoise eyes are probably worth thousands, goddamit._

 

Erwin must've noticed the worry lines on my face because he quickly retrieved a key from the desk and walked to the door at the end of the hallway, beckoning for me to follow.

 

 

 

"Don't worry; we're not going to do any harm here. This part of the facility is just the check-in area. But check this out…" With a wiggle of his caterpillar-brows, he unlocked and opened the door, motioning for me to head in.

 

My jaw hit the ground, I swear.

 

In front of me was what I assumed to be the living room. There was a huge leather couch with several bean bags surrounding it, and an enormous flat screen TV hung proudly on the wall in the front of them. The floor was covered with soft, shaggy carpet, and the walls were painted a light blue. Large surround-sound speakers sat near the walls on both sides of the room.

 

 

"Why don't I give you a tour? All the other patients were authorized to stay in their rooms until we got you settled in. This is, obviously, the living room. The patients can have their free hours in here, but this room is mainly used for group therapy."

 

I walked quickly behind him as he took a right, stopping at the opening of another doorway. There were several tables to the side of the room and a long serving stand that looked like a buffet line. The floor was checkered black and white and the walls were plain white. It smelled of baked chicken and potatoes, and my mouth was legitimately watering at the scent. I hadn’t had a full home-cooked meal since…

 

 

 

"This is the kitchen. It is mandatory for you to eat breakfast, lunch, and dinner in here with the other patients. You can eat minor snacks such as chips, cookies, etc, wherever and whenever you want."

 

 

 

His voice never faltered as he spoke, the texture of his vocal cords rich and smooth. He kept it right on moving as he walked to another door on down the hallway.

 

 

"This is the recreation room. The living room is mostly for TV and therapy purposes, but this is where you go if you want to have a little entertainment. We have gaming devices, arcade games, computers, with monitoring software of course." Oh, right. I’m technically insane, so they have to track everything I do. I rolled my eyes at his last comment. The room had hardwood floors and brightly painted walls of yellow. He continued on and we finally hit the end of the hall and stood in front of a staircase. Erwin started to trek upwards, me following and listening to him closely as he described the rest of the place.

 

 

"There is a beautiful garden in the back of the facility where we grow flowers, fruits, and vegetables. We also have an amazing library with thousands of books, and an indoor basketball and volleyball court." No wonder this place was so huge. I nodded my head to his words until we finally reached the top of the staircase. We were at the beginning of another long hallway.

 

 

"This hallway contains the living quarters. There are many other patients living here, and I promise that _most_ of them are friendly. You will be rooming with a young man named Armin. He's a nice boy, and he’s about your age. You’ll get along just fine.”

 

 

"What's wrong with him?" That was immediately my first question. Blondie better not be trying to make me live with some crazed serial killer. We walked down the hallway, stopping at a door labeled "Armin & Eren". Erwin fully faced me for the first time since I’d walked in the building, a sickeningly sweet smile on his face.

 

 

 

"Well, Armin’s known around here as an, um…slowly recovering exhibitionist."

 

_What the hell is an exhibitionist?_

_Oh, I didn’t say that out loud._

"What an exhibitionist?"

 

 

“By textbook definition, an exhibitionist is a person who likes to display their genitals to strangers for their own gratification. _But,_ never mind little details! He's as sharp as a tool and a real sweetheart!" Erwin didn’t miss a beat as he exclaimed, turning to unlock the door.

 

_Bitch, what?_

 

As soon as Erwin swung the door open, sure enough there was my new roommate standing stark naked in the middle of the bedroom. His grin resembled that of a Cheshire cat when he saw my eyes widen at the sight of him and his…endowment. I instantly covered my eyes, but Erwin somehow didn't even look surprised. He looked more disappointed than anything.

 

 

 

"Armin, seriously? You've been doing so well. What have I told you about this?" Erwin asked exasperatedly, staring hard and long at the short, nude blonde in the room with his arms crossed. Armin lowered his head as if he had just got caught stealing a cookie from the cookie jar.

 

 

 

"You said I need to find a better way to express myself other than flashing unsuspecting individuals." Armin said in a monotone voice. Erwin nodded in approval and pointed towards the drawers. Armin got the hint and quickly slipped on some clothes.

 

 

 

"This is your new roommate, Eren. I gave you guys the same schedule, and I expect you to make him feel welcome, Armin." I uncovered my eyes and looked at Erwin with furrowed brows.

 

 

 

"Schedule? What schedule?"

 

 

 

"Every patient has a daily schedule that tells when their therapy sessions, dining hours, and relaxation times are."

 

 

I mouthed an 'Oh' and looked to Armin, now fully clothed. His grin had returned and I smiled back weakly. Abruptly, a loud clatter from a room nearby caught all of our attentions.

 

 

"DAMMIT, SHITTY GLASSES. LEAVE ME THE FUCK ALONE.” I heard a loud voice boom.

 

 

A slightly higher voice replied, "WELL, WHERE THE HELL DID YOU GET A LIGHTER?!" Erwin’s eyes widened, and he quickly excused himself out. Armin saw the worried look on my face and smirked.

 

 

"Welcome to the crazy house."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hope you guys enjoyed. Lemme know what you guys thought! Comments, criticism, any mistakes...let me know! See you soon.
> 
> DEUCES!
> 
> -Ashley


	3. Darkness in the Light

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Meet the roommate with blonde hair and a knack for showing genitals.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Heeeeey. Another day, another chapter...Guess what! Different POV....ooooohhhhhhhhh.....ENJOY!
> 
> Flash Delirium: Chapter 3 - Darkness in the Light

 

_**Armin** _

 

Erwin ran out the room, closing the door behind him. Levi and Hanji were more than likely having one of their daily spats, which never usually lasted too long. The whole thing would probably end with them having an extra therapy session with Erwin.

 

The poor brunette in front of me looked sick to his stomach. Between the lanky figure, the oddly colored eyes, and the messy hair, he was honestly quite cute. He was definitely a major step-up from my last roommate.

 

_Ugh, I don’t even want to think about that guy…_

 

His eyes met mine and I smirked on instinct.

 

"Welcome to the crazy house."

 

His whole face paled a little, and at that point, I was sure he was going to vomit. He shook his head, walked towards the vacant side of the room, and began to unpack. Plopping down onto my own bed, I watched him intently. The guy hadn’t said a word, nor had he looked in my direction, and he hadn’t shown any signs of having serious mental health issues. He seemed…normal.

 

But, nothing was always what it seemed, right?  I didn’t exactly look like the type of person who liked to flash unsuspecting individuals. What can I say? It's exhilarating. The look on people's faces when they get a surprise visit from Armin Jr…

 

Exhibitionism plus a minor case of bipolar disorder equals a freak by society’s standards, but that doesn’t really bother me all that much. It’s not like I can control the fact that I’m a little fucked up. Although, I might know how this shit started…

 

Imagine a young, blonde boy. He’s a genius. He’s a straight-A student. He’s class president. He’s adored by both his parents and his teachers. He’s a shoo-in for valedictorian, and some of the most prestigious colleges in the world have had their eyes on him ever since his freshmen year in high school.

 

But he’s a loser.

 

He has no friends. He’s ignored, practically invisible, and it doesn’t help that he’s shy and short. All the kids call him a teacher’s pet. He has never even stepped foot in a party, nor has he ever been on a date. He literally has virgin written all over him.

 

And one day, something snaps inside the boy. He decides that he’s sick of being ignored and treated as if he was a speck of dirt on the ground. He’s sick of being used by his classmates, helping them with their homework only to feel rejected afterwards when said classmate never talked to him again when they get their good grade. He wanted to be noticed, dammit.

 

So, he did what needed to be done…

 

He flashed the entire student body with his bare, pale ass in the middle of a pep rally.

 

_That_ got everybody’s attention.

 

And thus, his flashing problem began. If you hadn’t figured it out, ‘he’ was actually ‘me’ and ‘me’ didn’t really think I had a problem. But my parents, on the other hand, thought I was just going through a phase, and they were completely in denial about the entire situation. But, I couldn’t really blame them. Knowing that you’re child wanted to show the world their private parts was a tough pill to swallow.

 

Needless to say, I got expelled for indecent exposure, and the look on my mother’s face when she got that phone call was priceless. It went probably a little something like this: “Is this Mrs. Arlert? Yes, this is Armin’s principal, Mr. Jones, and I was just calling to inform you that your precious, intelligent, sweet child flashed his white, pasty, flat ass to the entire school, and has left us traumatized. Therefore, he is expelled, and I just needed you to know that you raised a mentally deranged kid and have failed as a parent. Have a splendid day!”

 

It was something along those lines, but whatever. My parents simply deemed the incident an act for attention, left the situation alone completely, and enrolled me into another school as if nothing had ever happened. And the plan worked for a while…until one day I flashed my classmates after giving a presentation on the human anatomy.

 

In my defense, genitals _are_ a part of the human anatomy.

 

That still wasn’t the final straw for my parents, though. The final straw was when I may or may not have flashed my grandfather when he came over to visit, and he may or may not have had a minor heart attack. He was in the hospital for a couple of days, but overall he was fine, so I still don’t see what the big problem was.

 

Long story short, I ended up here. It’s been about 2 months, and I’ve flashed almost every patient and every staff member, so I personally don’t think this whole asylum thing is working out for me. Although, I do now feel sudden urges to cover up whenever I flash Erwin…maybe it’s the whole “authority aura” thing he’s got going on. 

 

Eren had hung all of his clothes on his side of our shared closet, and was filling up his drawers.

 

"Need some help?" I questioned with a friendly smile on my face. Eren timidly shook his head without even meeting my eyes, continuing his task at hand. I looked at his side of the closet and noticed that most of his clothes were either black, black, or...black. It was a huge contrast to my colorful array of shirts and pants (that I usually never wore because going natural was my thing, if you hadn’t noticed). I was determined to figure out why this guy was here, so I made a poor attempt at conversation.

 

"So…what're you in for?" His eyebrows furrowed until they relaxed, revealing a light smile that didn’t quite reach his eyes.

 

"When you say it like that, you make it seem like we're in jail or something."

 

I chuckled softly and got up from my seat on my bed. As he continued organizing his drawers, I quickly and soundlessly made my way over to his side of the room, sitting down onto his bed next to his almost empty suitcase. Eren turned around to grab something else and jumped back into the wall at the sight of me. He kept glancing back and forth between my previous spot to where I was now. My child-like grin never faltered, and I waved at him.

 

Eren’s hand was covering his heart from the scare I had apparently given him and he waved back with his free hand cautiously. He seemed to have finally regained his breath, but he appeared to be analyzing me as if I was a ticking time bomb.

 

"W-what are you d-doing?" _Aww…he stutters._ _Gosh,_ _I thought I was the dork._

 

"Just trying to get to know my new roommate. So, why'd you get sent here? Only if you’re cool with me asking. I'm honestly just curious. I'm sure Erwin already told you about my issues, unless of course you were dumb enough to just let him put you in a room with a person who might be an absolute psycho and didn't ask any questions." He stayed silent for a moment and stilled his movements.

 

"Nope, I definitely asked about you. I'm not completely crazy." Eren sighed, having a seat on his bed with a safe distance standing between us.

 

"I, uh…tried to commit suicide, but I failed. The doctor diagnosed me with depression and sent me here."

 

"Why'd you do that? If you don’t mind me asking…"

 

 “My mom died a couple years back, and my dad ditched my sister and I a little while after. We sold my childhood home, etc etc, it’s really complicated, but we ended up moving with my older sister working to help take care of us both. I felt like such a…burden. Like she was putting her life on hold for me, you know? And it didn’t help that I got bullied a lot at my new school for being that shy kid that never talked. I...’attempted’, and my sister found me before any damage could be done, and now I’m here.”

 

I had noticed the bandages on his wrists that he’d attempted to cover up with bracelets, but didn’t say anything about it. His eyes were tearing up, and somehow I felt as though I could relate. I knew what if felt like to be bullied and have no friends. It sucked, and nobody deserved that. But we were definitely different in our own ways. While he became depressed about his shortcomings, I got angry and took to less conventional ways of dealing with it.

 

At that point, he looked so fucking depressed, and my heart was slowly breaking. I scooted towards him and gave him the one thing he seemed to need the most: A big ol' hug. He looked frightened at first, but eventually gave in, wrapping his arms around me, and letting the tears flow. I soothingly rubbed his back for a good ten minutes before his sobbing finally turned into quiet sniffles. He slowly pulled back from the hug and patted his eyes dry with his sleeve. He smiled towards me, although it was small, but this time it seemed genuine.

 

"Thank you. I've actually been holding that in ever since I got here."

 

"No problem. Listen, you seem like you've never really had a close friend, and I’m in the same boat. So, considering we're gonna be roommates for a while, maybe I could fill that position, if you’re interested." Eren’s eyes lit up at my words, and that brought a smile to my own face. He nodded enthusiastically with a small chuckle, and I hopped off his bed and walked towards the door.

 

"Well, friend, would you like to join me for dinner?" I asked as I opened up the door.

 

"I would like that."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Lemme know what you guys thought! Comments, constructive criticism, concerns...Hmu. See you later this week!
> 
> DEUCES!
> 
> p.s. Armin is still my favorite thing ever, lol.


	4. Now or Never

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Meet the resident crazies.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Heyyyyyy! Thanks for all the wonderful comments and kudos (I'm almost at 100, like holy shit) because they mean lots and lots and lots! I'm getting better at replying now, haha. YAY ME! 
> 
> No Levi this chapter (I know, don't kill me). Soon, I pinkie swear! If not next chapter, then the chapter after that. Patience, my loves, is a virtue, hehe. 
> 
> Anywho, new chapter, new characters, new crazy...ENJOY!
> 
> Flash Delirum: Chapter 4 - Now or Never

**_Eren_ **

 

Armin and I were some of the last few patients to enter the kitchen. The specialty today was baked chicken and potatoes. As I looked around, I became very aware of the fact that everybody was staring at me as if I was truck that had crashed through the wall. I wasn't used to this type of attention at all, and it was freaking me out. Armin and I made our dinner plates and he led me towards an empty table in a corner. I didn’t know whether Armin just didn’t notice that we were today’s main attraction, or if he was just too hungry to care, but he ate in oblivious bliss nonetheless. I, on the other hand became agitated with the situation.

 

"Why is everybody…staring? Don’t they know that’s rude?” I hissed. 

 

"You're new here. Everybody's just curious about how you ended up in this dump. Until they know, they'll probably try to analyze everything about you to see if they can figure it out."

 

"That doesn't sound crazy to you?"

 

"We are in a crazy house. You see that girl in the blue shirt over there?" Armin said, subtlety motioned towards the table behind us. I glanced back and saw a girl with blonde, neatly pinned up hair with a face that just screamed for people not to fuck with her.

 

"That's Annie. Got diagnosed with Intermittent Explosive Disorder two years ago, and she’s been here ever since. She’s pretty cool to talk to, but you have to be very careful with what you say because sometimes she’ll literally just…explode. Trust me, you do NOT want that to happen, my friend. Last time it did, someone ended up in the hospital with three broken limbs.” I laughed, assuming that he was joking, but stopped as soon as I looked up and noticed he was being dead-ass serious. 

  

Well, shit.

 

Annie was eating cautiously, wiping her mouth every thirty seconds to ensure that food didn’t spill off of her tray and onto the table. 

 

Which was a major contrast to the girl beside her.

 

The chick had brown, bouncy hair that was tied back into a messy ponytail, and she wasn’t just eating her food, she was inhaling the shit. She was quite noticeably the biggest person in the room weight-wise, and I feared that she might choke if she didn’t slow down.

 

"What about her?”

 

"The girl sitting beside Annie? That’s Sasha, a binge eater. That girl could devour a whole box of donuts in twenty minutes. She’s been here for about a year, and has gotten way smaller since her first day. She was at least three hundred pounds when she first came here. She’s nice, as long as you don’t mind potato chip breath. Legend has it that when on her first day here, she snuck a shit-load of potatoes into her pants from the kitchen and took them into her room. By the time the staff realized what had happened, she'd already eaten half of the stash. We call her 'Potato Girl' because of that. I don’t know much about her past besides that her parents used to abuse her. She never talks about that much, though. 

 

My food had pretty much been forgotten, and my interest of who I was going to be living with for a while only grew. I looked towards the table beside us and saw three boys chatting away.

 

One had dirty blonde hair covered by a beanie and his nose was huge. His face as a whole reminded me of a horse, and I felt really bad for even thinking that. Another had blonde short hair with intensely colored eyes. He was a big fellow with broad shoulders. The last one had short brown hair, and even though he was sitting, I could tell he was tall. He seemed lanky, and his eyes were green.

 

"Who are they?"

 

"The one with the hat is Jean. Major narcissist and major douchebag. It doesn’t matter what you could be talking about with him, he’ll always swerve the subject back on him. From what I’ve heard, his family is composed of a bunch of millionaires. Don’t ask me how he ended up here, though. The blonde one is Reiner, compulsive liar. He’s slick as oil and very manipulative, but he’s damn good at it. He makes up the wildest stories about anything and everything, but he’s easy to talk to, even if most of the stuff he’s saying isn’t true at all. The last guy is Bertolt, avoidant personality disorder extraordinaire. When he first came here, nobody besides Erwin saw him for a week because he refused to come out of his room. Bert sucks at making new friends because he hardly ever talks, but as long as you’re nice, you two will get along just fine.

 

Two other girls walked into the cafeteria as I continued examining the trio. One of them was a blonde with big, blue eyes, and I swore that she looked just like Armin. She was short, a light blue dress adorning her lanky figure. The other girl was much noticeably taller with a more masculine build, brown hair pinned up on her head. There was a seemingly permanent scowl on her face and she had a protective arm around the blonde. We caught eyes for a brief moment and she sent me a death glare that made my heart stop. I quickly turned back around in my seat.

 

"Krista and Ymir, the resident lesbian couple. Ymir, the tall one, is a sadist. Legend says that she was sent here after she basically broke up her dad and stepmom's marriage when she was younger. She would say the cruelest things to her stepmom just because she didn't like her. Her stepmom got fed up one day and divorced her dad because of Ymir, but not before saying his daughter had serious mental issues. Her dad was so pissed that he sent her here to figure out why she had to be such a bitch all the time. She’s made everyone in this room cry at least once, except Krista. Try to stay clear of the both of them since wherever Krista is, Ymir is usually close by. The weird thing is, nobody knows what’s wrong with Krista. She’s the sweetest person ever, and has shown no signs whatsoever of having any mental problems. Only Erwin knows, and he won’t tell anyone. A confidentiality thing."

 

Armin had already finished his food, and I hadn’t noticed the fact that he had started eating mine too. He was small, but damn, the boy could eat

 

Armin ended his meal (and mine) with a loud belch. He said a half-hearted excuse me, and put all the trash back onto the trays. I looked around the whole cafeteria. To an outsider, we were just a group of young adults eating dinner. To me, we were a bunch of kids who have had worse luck than others.

 

"Armin?"

 

"Hmm?"

 

"Is this it, or is somebody missing?"

 

"That little argument you heard earlier today was from Hanji and Levi. They argue like every day about the weirdest shit and are probably in a therapy session with Erwin discussing what happened…again. They're another duo that you should probably steer away from. They’re in the more maximum security rooms on the hall because of their more…sociopathic behavior patterns. Besides them, that’s pretty much it.”

 

Alright, so let's break this down. I'm living with a flasher, a ticking time bomb, a foodie, a self-absorbed jerk, a compulsive liar, a non-sociable giant, and a sadist. Not to mention the fact that no one even knows what’s wrong with Krista (for all we know she likes to chop people’s fingers off and eat them for dinner), and Armin seemed way too reluctant as hell to tell me about those Hanji and Levi people…

 

 Armin finally got up and threw away our trays. I was going be hungry as a hostage later, but that was the last of my worries.

 

"Wanna come with me to the rec room? You'll probably get to officially meet some of the others." He saw the worried look on my face and rolled his eyes.

 

"Don't be a scaredy cat, Eren. As long as you don’t have any food on you, Sasha is really awesome to talk to. Plus, Jean is a total asshole, but he’s hilarious. We’re not as bad as you think, I promise. Do you trust me?”

 

I was reluctant, but I nodded my head and followed him out.

 

It was now or never.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> What'd you guys think of the fellow crazies? What do you guys think is wrong with Krista? Maybe she turns into a wolf at night...(I'm kidding, but that'd be funny, though). Comments, kudos, concerns, criticism, any mistakes you saw, hmu!
> 
> DEUCES!


	5. issues

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Meet Hanji and Zoe. Yes, they're two different people.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Heeeeyyyyy...don't kill me. I've been a tad bit busy with school and stuff, but i'm here, so don't find me and do violent things, k? :)
> 
> TRIGGER WARNING FOR THIS CHAPTER: Rape; Underage; Non-Con; Skip everything in italics if you're not comfortable with that. It's not necessary for you to read it; it won't take away anything from the plot. 
> 
> You guys get to meet Hanji and KINDA meet Levi...if you squint. I believe next chapter is mostly about him, so stay tuned! Anywho...
> 
> Flash Delirium - Chapter 5: Issues

**_Hanji_ **

****

"You’re such a dipshit, Hanji. We wouldn’t even be in here right now if it wasn’t for you and Ms. Prissy’s big-ass mouth."

 

The astonishment on my face couldn’t be matched in that moment. He couldn’t be seriously blaming us for this, could he? We were patiently waiting in Erwin's office for him to return so we could receive our punishments, Levi slumped down in one of Erwin's cushioned chairs and I sitting criss–crossed on the floor.

 

"How is this OUR fault? You're the one who snuck a lighter into our room! Do you even realize how badly that could've ended if Erwin hadn't shown up, especially with your little “problem”? You could've burned the whole place down!"

 

"That’s not the point, Han. We wouldn't even be here right now if weirdo number two would've just kept their mouth shut."

 

"Zoe was doing their job, which is to protect me. Don’t you blame this on them, Levi."

 

It’s no wonder Levi and I are friends; we’re both fucked up. Maybe him a little more than me, but fucked up nonetheless. I'm not judging him, though. I have absolutely NO right to judge. I’m fucked up, but in a completely different way…It’s a long story.

 

I lived with my parents before my mother sent me here. My dad left when I was about eight. I couldn't have been happier when he left, the douche being nothing but a sadistic alcoholic asshole. He always used to beat my mom, and he used to do really bad things to me. He's the whole reason why I'm even in this dump. He's the monster that messed up my whole life. I didn't even know what he was doing to me at the time, though. I was only six when it started happening…

 

_It was the night before my seventh birthday. I was so excited that I could barely even sleep. My mom had planned out a birthday party and all my friends from school were going to be there. It was going to be superhero themed and my mom had even ordered a huge chocolate cake from the bakery. I was tossing and turning in my bed from sheer excitement. My father must've finished his daily routine of coming home from work, drinking, arguing with my mom and then proceeding to beat the crap out of her early because he decided to ‘check’ on me. He opened my bedroom door slightly and had a beer in hand. He saw my eyes open, wide and innocent, and furrowed his eyebrows in confusion._

_"What are you still doing up?" His voice was raspy and husky. He was an older version of me, tall and slender with dark brown hair and naturally large eyes. I turned onto my side and frowned guiltily._

_"I'm sorry, daddy…I couldn't sleep. I'm just so super-duper excited for tomorrow!" I said with a grin, two of my front teeth missing. He nodded his head in recognition and cracked the door more open._

_"Well, since you're awake…" He slid through the crack of the door into my room and closed and locked it behind him._

_"Why don't we play a game?" He crept towards me and set the beer onto my tiny, cluttered nightstand. I nodded my head eagerly and he chuckled._

_"What kinda game are we gonna play daddy?" I crawled out from under the covers and slid closer towards him, crawling onto his lap. He had a look in his eye that I had never seen before._

_"First, you gotta promise me something. No matter what we do in here, you can't tell mommy, understood? It'll be our little secret." I shook my head up and down feverishly, the toothless grin never leaving my face._

_He removed me off of his lap and set me down beside him. He unbuckled his khaki pants and slid them down along with his boxers. A weird, hot-dog looking thingy sprang out. I looked at my dad in confusion as he gently took my hand and placed it on top of the thing. My father's eyes had darkened, a menacing look lurking behind those orbs. I gave it a squeeze and immediately retraced my hand._

_"Why is it all squishy? It feels yucky…" My father retrieved my hand again, but this time with more force. He placed my hand back on top of it and held it there._

_"Han, it's part of the game. Just…move your hand up and down."_

_I obeyed and started moving my hand. My dad had his head tipped back, his eyes were closed, and was letting out small noises. He seemed to be happy with what I was doing, so I figured I was pretty good at this game. After a while, he abruptly removed my hand and hopped on top of me. He quickly stripped me of my footie pajamas and threw them across the room._

_"Daddy, what're you-"_

_"It's all a part of the game, honey. Now, this might hurt a bit…"_

_In that moment, my innocence was taken from me. The pain was agonizing and there was absolutely nothing I could do about it. He kept whispering in my ear about how tight I was, and I was scared out of my mind. I wanted to scream out, but his hand was covering my mouth. When he finally finished, I was in tears. My bottom was in severe pain and there was blood on my sheets. He grabbed his beer from the nightstand and left without another word. I was frozen from fear and exhaustion. After that, my dad kept forcing me to play that game with him every night for the next couple of years until he left._

During those couple of years, after a particular night with my father forcing himself on me, I started to hear a voice inside my head. They introduced themselves as Zoe. They said that they were there to help me. I suddenly blacked out and we met. Well, we met inside my head. They looked exactly liked me, but their personality was the polar opposite of mine. While I was shyer, quiet, and more reserved, Zoe was loud, flamboyant, and outgoing. I knew Zoe wasn’t real and just a figment of my messed up imagination, but they became like my best friend. Zoe was the only person I could talk to about what my father was doing to me. In my head, Zoe lived in a huge mansion by themselves and was always there when I needed somebody to talk to. A few weeks after my eighth birthday, Zoe got fed up with what my dad was doing to me. Technically, he was OUR dad, but whatever.

 

"Hanji, ready to play our game?" I heard my sadistic father call from outside my door. I was in the middle of a conversation with Zoe when I whimpered out in fear. I knew that I was going to have to go back into the real world and leave them behind, but Zoe had other plans.   

 

"Hanji, what if you stay here and I play the game with your dad? He won't be able to tell the difference." I looked at them like they were nuts. 

 

"Is that possible?" 

 

"Yup. Han, you created me for a reason. I’m here to help you whenever you're scared. Like now." 

 

From that point on, Zoe never let me play that game with my dad ever again. Whenever my father was anywhere near me, I would suddenly end up on the couch in Zoe’s imaginary mansion, and they would have control over everything; my body, my mind, my actions. After my dad left my mom, Zoe still took over whenever I was scared, which happened a lot. When I was twelve, I finally realized that what my dad had been doing to me wasn't a game. I was being used for his own twisted pleasure. I still didn't tell my mom, though. She was working two jobs to support her and me, so I figured I didn't need to add any more stress into her life.

 

The reason I ended up at Trost is because my mom put me in here when I was thirteen. She was passing by my room in the house and saw me having a full conversation…with myself. I was talking to Zoe in my head of course, and I tried to explain that to her. She panicked because she thought I might have lost my mind, and she took me to a doctor. I told the doctor about Zoe and he referred me to Trost Mental Asylum. Zoe had control the whole first day I was here because I was scared out of my mind. When I started having therapy sessions with Erwin, sometimes I would be in control, and sometimes they would. Erwin was a really easy person to talk to, and I eventually broke down and told him about my father. Erwin had indeed noticed the sudden personality changes I would have and diagnosed me with dissociative identity disorder. He explained to me that when young children go through traumatic experiences, such as sexual assault, their mind creates different versions of themselves to handle those experiences. I created Zoe so that they could take the abuse from my dad, and I wouldn't have to go through it. Zoe "comes out" whenever I feel threatened or scared. They handle those situations so I don't have to. They’re like my protector.

 

Now, I'm sixteen and have been here for three years. Levi was sent here a year after I came, and he became my roommate. He hated me at first, dubbing me as ‘two-face’ because of my two personalities, but he eventually loosened up, and I had finally felt as if I had made a friend here. Underneath that cold and calm demeanor was actually a pretty cool guy, as long as you didn't piss him off. He's met Zoe a couple of times, and I'm pretty sure they don't really like each other. Levi thinks Zoe is a big–mouthed asshole, while Zoe thinks Levi is a control freak. Zoe is kind of…protective of me, but only because they understand how much I've been hurt by people I trusted the most.

 

Erwin had finally walked into the room carrying two huge, vanilla folders. I was trying to keep my nerves down so Zoe wouldn't "come out". The last thing we needed was for them to get into a verbal confrontation with Levi.

 

Erwin sat behind his desk and clasped his hands together on top of it. He looked like a judge who was about to announce the verdict. I swallowed down a large lump that had formed in my throat.

 

"You guys do realize how serious this is right? Sneaking a lighter into this place is strictly against the rules. We all know how badly this could've ended if I hadn't shown up. Both of you refuse to tell me who was responsible, so I have to blame you both. I'm afraid I'm going to have to put you both into solitary confinement for the rest of the week. You both are to not leave your room except for meals and therapy sessions. Understood?"

 

Levi rolled his eyes and snorted at the punishment, immediately getting up and walking out of the office without another word. I just quickly nodded my head and followed behind him. Levi didn't really seem fazed, but I was livid. Now that we were under solitary confinement, I wouldn't be able to meet the new kid yet. Every time we get someone new here I always hope that they are just as fucked up as I am. It oddly makes me feel better about myself.

 

Levi knew that this was his fault, but he didn't apologize. We both knew he wouldn't mean it even if he did.

 

"Well, I guess it's supposed to be just you and me this week, two-face." Levi said as he lied back onto his bed, propping his arms up behind his head.

 

"I wonder whose fault that is." I say sarcastically as I sat on the bean bag.

 

"Look, it's too late to play the ‘blame-game’, so just get over it. Too bad you don't get to meet the new kid until next week. From what I've heard, he's pretty easy on the eyes."

 

"Levi, you are the last person to – wait. Did you just say too bad ‘I’ don’t get to meet the new kid?”

 

“Hanji, you honestly think I’m about to sit in here and rot away for a whole goddamn week? Please. The old man doesn’t scare me. I can do whatever the hell I want, I don’t need his permission.”

 

“You do realize that attitude is the exact reason you got put in here, right?”

 

“You do realize that I really don’t give a fuck, right?” Levi mimicked me, deciding to end the conversation there as he stuck his headphones into his ears and blasted his music at full volume.

 

I’ll admit it. I love Levi, but dude has got some serious issues.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Poor Han. Lemme know your thoughts on Hanji, Levi, their relationship, and what you think so far! K...
> 
> BYEEE. 
> 
> :)


	6. Flicker of Fire

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Meet the arsonist, Levi.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> HEEEYYYY, long time, no see! 
> 
> So, want me to be honest? Of course you guys do! 
> 
> Parts of this story were written years ago, back when i didn't know the difference between "then" and "than", and like...I DON'T KNOOOOW, I JUST THINK SOME OF THIS IS SO POORLY WRITTEN AND I DUNNO HOW TO MAKE IT UN-HORRIBLE, xD. LIKE, MY WRITING HAS DEFINITELY IMPROVED OVER THE YEARS, JUST NOT ON THIS PARTICULAR STORY, IF THAT MAKES SENSE. 
> 
> BUT....
> 
> I will strive on, but only because alot of you guys love this story and I want to finish it for y'all...no matter how much it makes me cringe when I read it back to myself, lol. Without further ado...
> 
> Here's chapter 6! 
> 
> :3

** Eren **

 

Armin had taken me to the recreation room to get acquainted with some of the other patients here. To say I was nervous would be an understatement, but it was now or never. As soon as Armin and I stepped through the door, Sasha had somehow appeared in front of me. She had her chubby hand extended towards me and was grinning ear to ear.

 

"Hi, I'm Sasha! Aspiring actress, future billionaire, currently single…" She ended with a wink and I scratched the back of my neck nervously. I'd never been good when it came to talking to girls.

 

I quickly shook her hand and retracted it back at once. I opened my mouth to speak, but she held up her hand to stop me before I could even get a word out.

 

"I know who you are. Eren Jaeger, seventeen years old, five foot 9, sent here because of depression and a failed suicide attempt, correct?"

 

A mixture of confusion, shock, and slight fear crossed over my face as she recited facts about me as if she'd known me her entire life.

 

"How do you know that stuff?"

 

"I read your file, duh! Erwin has seriously gotta start remembering to lock his office door."

 

"Alright, so you've met potato girl!" Armin exclaimed, strolling behind me and clapping a hand on my back. Sasha rolled her eyes and glared at the blonde.

 

"Army, go away. Eren and I were in the middle of a conversation." She sent a flirtatious glance my way and I took a sudden interest in my shoes.

 

"He looks more frightened than anything, Sasha. Come on Eren, let's talk to Annie. She's a bit saner than the rest of us. Well, most of the time."

 

Annie was surprisingly easy to talk to, even though her piercing blue eyes were enough of a warning of not to mess with her. Reiner was pretty cool, but you could tell he was a bit protective of Bertolt. He never left Bert’s side the entire time I was talking to him. Bertolt was as shy as Armin had warned, so I made an extra effort to stay as polite as possible to him.

 

After meeting some of the patients, I quickly realized that they may not be as crazy as their medical conditions suggest. Every human being has their quirks, kinks, and weird habits. That doesn’t necessarily make them… _crazy._

 

Maybe life here wouldn’t be as bad as I thought…As long as Sasha didn’t find my snack pile in my room.

 

**_ Levi _ **

 

"Where are you going? Erwin gave us strict orders to stay in our room. Are you trying to get yourself into more trouble?"

 

I had figured that since Hanji was so zoned out into her conversation with Zoe that they wouldn't notice that I was leaving. Guess I was wrong.

 

"I'm just going for a walk, no big deal. Don't get your SpongeBob panties in a wad."

 

Hanji blushed at the fact that I even knew that they owned SpongeBob underwear, but shook it off quickly.

 

"Levi. For _once_ in your life, can't you just follow the rules?"

 

"When have I ever been the “follow the rules” type? Quit worrying. I’ll be back before you know it, four-eyes." With that, I walked out of our room and crept down the empty hallway. I knew Erwin's office was at the bottom of the stairs, so I was going to have to be cautious. I heard a pair of feet walk behind me and I already knew it was Hanji. No matter how much they didn't want to, Hanji just couldn't help going along with my misguided plans.

 

"Where are we even going?" They whispered harshly into my ear with a hint of annoyance in their voice.

 

"The rec room. I want to lay down a few rules for the newbie."

 

When I was "sentenced" to this place a few years ago, everybody already knew not to mess with me. Poor Hanji almost had a heart attack when they realized I was going to be sharing a room with them after finding out how much of a psycho I was. We bonded for some odd reason though, but that's a whole different story. I was only 14 at the time, but I pretty much ran this place. Well, I still do actually. I know it's because everyone knows what I'm capable of, and fear is an excellent way to maintain power.

 

Let's start from the beginning, shall we?

 

I grew up in what I guess you could call the projects. My mother died shortly after giving birth to me, and the identity of my father remains unknown to this day, which left me under the care of my uncle Kenny. The man was a convenience store manager by day and a drug lord by night, which one could consider to be quite the unconventional environment for a young child, but it paid the rent. We still lived in a raggedy, old, poor neighborhood, but the man did his best to take care of me since he’d promised my mother.

 

I guess you could say I was quite the rascal growing up. When I wanted something, I was going to get it one way or another, whether it be by throwing a fit, or by manipulating someone to get it. I've never cared about anyone else's feelings besides mine, and I've always hated following rules. In middle school, teachers would notice the harsh words I would use against other kids, and I usually got suspended for a week or two once a month for it. Eventually I got expelled for being a "hostile, aggressive child with a bad attitude". The town we lived in was small and only had one middle school, so Kenny and I had to move in order for me to further my education. He was _not_ happy about that at all considering he’d have to travel back and forth just to keep his illegal ring under wraps, taking up extra money we didn’t really have, but he couldn’t give up on me. Not yet, at least.

 

At my new middle school, my behavioral problems surprisingly got even worse. I started skipping class, cursing out teachers, starting food fights…I was your average badass. I wasn't alone though. I had two close friends, Farlan and Isabel. They were more like groupies instead of friends because they were only hanging out with me because they thought I was cool, but we had fun together nonetheless. One day, the three of us decided to ditch school and hang out around the abandoned parking lot of an old mall. That day pretty much changed my life forever…

 

-Flashback-

 

"Do you think Ms. Applebee is gonna be mad we ditched class?" Farlan asked. Isabel and I just looked at him like he was stupid.

 

"Are you kidding me? She's probably happy we're gone. Especially after that little comment Levi made yesterday…" Isabel stated while looking towards me. I shrugged my shoulders.

 

"I was just being honest. Her pyramid nipples were poking through her shirt and it was grossing me out." Isabel chuckled and shook her head.

 

Farlan was way taller than Isabel and I, but he was lankier than the both of us. He reminded me somewhat of a twig. He had dirty blonde hair and huge green eyes. He loved danger, but somehow always thought about the consequences of his actions.

 

Isabel was average height, red-headed, and extra feisty. With a bottomless stomach and an odd sense of humor, she was the funniest person out of us three. She cracked jokes every chance she could, whether they were corny or not. She loved taking risks, and rarely ever cared about what people thought about her.

 

The three of us were just sitting against the side of an abandoned building a few blocks away from our school having a casual conversation about random stuff. Isabel suddenly hopped up with a mischievous smirk on her face. She pulled a small, rectangular object out of her pocket.

 

"What the hell is that?" I asked.

 

"A lighter. I stole it from my dad. He has like ten of them, so I doubt he'll even notice it's gone." She threw the lighter towards me and I easily caught it. I hit the button, and out came a flicker of fire. I was amused by the little flame and its color. I took an innocent curiosity of fire in that exact moment. I looked to my left and saw an overflowing trashcan. I stood up, walked over to it, flicked the lighter on again, and threw it in. The trash inside immediately caught on fire and I smiled victoriously. Farlan and Isabel were by my side in an instant, and they were both in hysterics.

 

"Have you lost your mind?! How are we gonna put this fire out?" Farlan asked.

 

"Farlan, relax. The fire is contained in the trashcan. It'll die out over time by itself naturally." It made sense to me, and apparently it did to them too. I didn't realize how wrong I was until the ENTIRE trashcan was engulfed in flames. The fire was starting to grow tremendously and we took off. I looked back one last time and saw that the flames had gotten so big that they were starting to engulf the entire abandoned building. I wanted to go back just so I could watch in fascination, but I kept running.

 

Fortunately, we didn't get caught, but Farlan and Isabel were pissed. They deemed me psychotic and stopped hanging out with me. I figured they would just try to stop my sudden interest anyway, so I didn't care. I started educating myself on fire. I learned how it was created, how it moved, how destructive it was…It became my world. By age fourteen, I started setting random things on fire. I started with a small tree in the park. No one got hurt. Then, I advanced onto random people's bikes when they weren't looking. The look on their faces when they turned around and saw their bikes on fire would be hilarious. Then, I set a building on fire. Ten people were injured, but nobody died. I thought it was quite strange how I didn't even feel any remorse or regret for what I did. I just felt…numb, as if those people didn't even matter. After setting the building on fire, I somehow got caught. I got arrested and was sent to juvenile until I could get sentenced. If somebody would've died in that fire, I could've been tried as an adult for murder.

 

The judge realized quickly that I oddly lacked any sort of emotion towards my actions, so instead of jail time, he decided to see if there was something wrong with me. He ordered me to see a psychiatrist.

 

Her name was Ms. Coyne. She had long silky black hair and creamy white skin. After about three sessions, she was quite aware of my obsession with fire. That's all I would ever talk about with her. I would sometimes tell her about my lack of emotions, and about my abruptly ended relationship with Farlan and Isabel. I explained to her that I felt that it was Isabel’s fault I'm even in this mess. If she hadn't brought that lighter that day, all this would've never happened.

 

She diagnosed me as a pyromaniac with antisocial personality disorder. She said I fit the symptoms of ASPD perfectly. I had blatant disregard for rules; difficulty maintaining relationships with people, although I have no problem establishing them; I show no signs of being able to express feelings of guilt or empathy for others; I have no problem with blaming other people for my own actions; and lastly, I have absolutely no regards for other people's feelings. She recommended me to _Titan’s Mental Asylum: Home of the Mentally Insane_ and here we are three years later.

 

My obsession with fire hasn't ceased at all in those three years, but Erwin swears on his life that he has "seen improvements" from me. I think that bitch is just as crazy as his patients.

 

Hanji and I crept swiftly down the stairs and past Erwin’s office. His door was closed, so hopefully he didn't see us. We walked into to the rec room and I was greeted by the sight of Bert and Reiner, who were talking quietly in the corner. Sasha, Jean and Annie were playing a board game, and then I saw a brown haired boy sitting on the brightly colored couch reading a book. I casually walked over to him and sat down, resting my arm on the back of the couch behind him. I noticed that he tensed up slightly at my presence. I put on a small smirk as he glanced my way. He smiled back at me cautiously and slowly set the book down by his side.

 

"Hi."

 

"H-hello…"

 

Oh look, he stutters. This'll be easy.

 

"I'm Levi." I held out my hand towards him and he looked at it with wide eyes. I wasn't surprised that he had already heard about my reputation around here. He gently shook my hand. By now, everyone in the room was watching our exchange.

 

"I'm E-Eren…I-" I cut him off.

 

"I know who you are. Hanji over there told me all about you. Now, how about I tell you about myself. I have a pretty bad reputation around here, and I have it for a reason. I'm a short guy with a short temper and I don't like being fucked with OK? Don't bother me nor Hanji, and we won't have any problems, got it?"

 

He nodded his head quickly and I gave him a small smile.

 

"Welcome to our humble abode. May all your nightmares come true."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey, you made it! 
> 
> Lemme know what you thought of this lovely mess, m'kay? You finally got to meet crazy Levi! Is he what you expected? 
> 
> Until next time...
> 
> BYEEEEE.

**Author's Note:**

> So, let me know what you guys thought! If I don't get a response, I'm going to automatically assume that you guys hated it, and then I probably won't update...Therefore, comments and kudos are welcome! You can also hit me up on Tumblr at BigTimeAttackOnTitan.tumblr.com
> 
> Until next time...BYE!


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